Brent

Brent's population expanded between the last two censuses. At the same time there were changes in housing tenure, jobs and health.

The population passed 310,000

In the 10 years leading up to 2011, the population of Brent increased by 18%, from about 263,000 to 311,000.

The addition of almost 48,000 people means this area's population increased faster than the rate of growth across England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Brent was home to, on average, 51 people per football pitch-sized piece of land.

Population density was higher than the average across London

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across London, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

A younger Brent

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Brent decreased by one year, from 33 to 32 years.

This urban area had a lower average age than London and remained younger than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The fall in age was because of an increase of just over 10,000 people between the ages of 20 and 29 years.

About 19% of people in Brent are aged between 20 and 29 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, London and Brent by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

Fall in home ownership

Brent saw England's second-largest fall in the proportion of households that owned their home.

In 2011, just over 4 in 10 (43%) households in Brent owned their home, compared with 55% in 2001. The percentage of privately rented homes increased from 18% to 30%.

The largest decrease occurred in Slough (from 66% to 53%).

The rate of home ownership in Brent decreased by 12 percentage points

Percentage of households in Brent, London and England that owned their home, March 2001 and March 2011

Religion in Brent

The number of people in Brent that described themselves as having no religion increased from just over 26,000 in 2001 to about 33,000 in 2011. This represents a change from 10.0% to 11% of the local population.

The percentage increased by less than the average across London (from 16% to 21%) and the average across England (from 15% to 25%).

The number of people in Brent that described themselves as Christian remained close to 130,000 between the last two censuses (from 48% to 41% of the population). The number of people who described themselves as Muslim increased from about 32,000 to about 58,000 (from 12% to 19%).

About 55,000 people (17%) said they were Hindu, up from about 45,000 in 2001 (18%).

There are many factors that can cause changes to the religious profile of an area, such as migration and varying fertility rates between religious groups. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals choose to self-identify between censuses.

The population without a religion in Brent remained close to 11%

Percentage of usual residents in England, London and Brent by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Changing relationships in Brent

Brent saw England's third-largest fall in the proportion of people who had never been married or in a civil partnership.

In 2011, just over 4 in 10 (42%) people aged 16 and over in Brent said they were single, compared with 43% in 2001. The percentage that said they were married increased from 43% to 43%.

The largest decrease occurred in City of London (from 52% to 51%) followed by Kensington and Chelsea (from 49% to 48%).

Because of its small size, comparisons to City of London should be made with caution.

The proportion of people who had never married or entered a civil partnership was lower than across London

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 and over that said they were single across local authority areas in London and the average across England, March 2011

Disability in Brent

The percentage of Brent residents whose day-to-day activities are limited a little by a long-term health problem or disability decreased from 5.7% to 5.1% in the 10 years leading up to the latest census.

The proportion who reported being limited a lot in their day-to-day activities remained close to 3.0%, while the percentage of Brent residents whose day-to-day activities are not limited by a long-term health problem or disability increased from 91% to 91%.

The proportion of people who are slightly limited by a long-term health problem or disability fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of London (from 5.8% in 2001 to 5.3% in 2011). Across England, the proportion fell from 6.8% to 6.5%.

The proportion of people who are limited a little by a long-term health problem or disability was lower than across London

Percentage of usual residents that reported being slightly limited in their day-to-day activities across local authority areas in London and the average across England, March 2011

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